Style Mistakes That Can Sabotage Your Look

Guys, you may not realize this, but despite your best efforts, you may be sabotaging your look. You’ve done your menswear research and are up to speed on all the current trends, you’ve mastered layering, know how a suit should be properly tailored, and can easily spot a man who does not have any sartorial sense. However, just because you’ve managed to become a connoisseur of menswear doesn’t mean that you’re still not making some small but silly errors that are throwing your outfit game off. Here are some things that could be killing your look. Don’t worry, they can all be easily fixed.

1. You don’t match your metals and your leathers

Metals and leathers should be matched. | iStock.com

Metals and leathers in your outfit should be properly matched. Accessories are meant to add something to your ensemble when they’re worn together, but they shouldn’t be the main focus. This means that belt metals, tie clips, and any other accessory with metal should remain in the same metal shade, while leathers work best when they’re also in the same color family — just make sure to go one shade darker or lighter when matching shoes and belts or even a briefcase. This approach is not meant for you too look matchy-matchy, rather it will complement your whole look.

2. You don’t pay attention to proportions

If the proportions are wrong, get it tailored. | iStock.com

Style is all about balance, especially when it comes to ties and suiting. No matter what, if your suit-tie proportion is off, then consider your outfit in the wrong. If you pair a narrow-lapeled two-piece with an equally slim tie, you’ll ooze the rakish charm of the Beatles in their heyday. But if you pick a kipper tie, your torso becomes somewhat of an optical illusion. As a general rule of thumb, for a suit jacket with a medium to narrow lapel, the widest part of the tie should be of equal width of the widest part of the lapel.

3. You wait too long to cut your hair

Keep your hair well kept. | iStock.com

It’s no surprise that your hair can be an outfit deal breaker, so it’s important that you keep a close eye on it. Esquire recommends that you become a regular at your barber shop and be sure to book your appointment roughly four weeks in between and stick to it. Too many men wait until they reach the “forlorn tugging of your locks” stage before they really care to do anything about it. Even if you have your outfit together and overall everything is put together expertly, but you need a haircut, it’s taking away from your perfectly styled look. If you stick to being proactive about your hair rather than reactive, you’re bound to always be right on point with your look.

4. You don’t keep your lines straight

Make sure everything is in alignment. | iStock.com

Your lapels and tie are the correct width and the leathers and metals in your ensemble are paired harmoniously, but the big question here is: Are your lines matched up? Business Insider says that you should have a clean “gig line,” which is a military term for the imaginary line that runs down the front of your body from the point of your chin all the way to your crotch. As a rule, your collar, tie knot, buttons, and belt buckle should all align. In other words, you need to keep everything centered from your tie to your fly. Just make sure before you walk out the door that everything is lined up and at attention, and then you’re ready to go. At ease.

5. You skimp on your eyewear

Even your eyewear matters. | iStock.com

Some men wear vanity glasses for style, while others wear glasses out of necessity. The two need not be mutually exclusive. If you’re a well-dressed man, you may be skimping on your eyewear without even realizing it. First things first, the shade of your glasses should suit your skin tone, in the same way you’d pick out an outfit. Next, it’s important that you pick a shape that fits and balances out your face shape. Generally, rounded frames soften angular face types, while square frames create edges on the more spherical face. One particular aspect that many men can easily ignore (as well as most people in general) is the way the frame sits along your brow line. The shape of the frame should almost but not completely, cover your eyebrows. This will ensure that the rest of the frame sits comfortably in the correct position on your face. You shouldn’t be constantly pushing your sliding frames up.